Ho, Ho Ho! Christmas Gifts for Chocoholics

      So you've got a chocoholic in the family, at work, or in your inner circle of friends.  Buying a gift for them should be easy--just get them a box of chocolates, right?  Wrong.  Sorry, but chocoholics can be picky, especially if they've had time to hone their palates.  There are also lots of so-called gift products for chocoholics, but like anything else, some things are cool and some are just lame. 

     Here I have put together my own list of gift ideas for chocoholics that I hope will help you with your holiday shopping as well as warm the cockles of your chocoholic's heart.  Feel free to combine two or more on the list for a really special gift.  Below this list is another list of gifts I discourage you from buying for your chocoholic--don't confuse the two!  Happy Shopping!

TOP 10 GIFT IDEAS FOR CHOCOHOLICS

1.  Land o' Lakes Hot Cocoa Mix Assortment - When I first discovered these amazing instant hot chocolate mixes, they were mixed in a gift basket I received.  These are the most indulgent chocolate products in my pantry so what could be better than a whole basket of all the flavors?  Not much, I'll tell you!  (And don't even think about substituting this with some other hot chocolate mix or basket because I promise you that where this will knock socks off, anything else will come off as just groceries. You can read my review about this product and my favorite flavors at  Review: LOL Hot Cocoa Mixes.


2.  Gourmet Chocolate-Covered Strawberries - This takes the box of chocolates to a whole other level.  Please note the "gourmet" part--just any ole chocolate-covered strawberries are not what we're going for here.  The ones I'm talking about are enormous, juicy berries double- and triple-dipped in a thick layer of chocolate and then decorated and sprinkled with chocolate chips and nuts and other yummy condiments.  Fortunately, these days you can find them online and at local franchises--even have them shipped directly to your gift recipient.  Some great sources for these are Shari's Berries (http://www.berries.com/) and Berry Elegance (http://www.berryelegance.com/).

3. Chocolate-Scented Candles - These are much more yummy than they sound.  Whether used at home or at the workplace, they spread the warm, delicious smell of chocolate in the air so that it surrounds you and takes you to your happy place.  The quality of candles varies widely so I recommend going with a proven quality brand like Yankee Candle Company (http://www.yankeecandle.com/) which at the time of this posting carries 4 different chocolate scents:  Chocolate Chip Cookie, Chocolate Truffle, White Chocolate Mint, and Peppermint Cocoa.  This company has many store locations as well as the website which will ship directly to your gift recipient.

4.  Chocolate of the Month Club - Depending on your budget, this can be a great gift that keeps on giving through the year.  Because these club memberships tend to be expensive (about $30+ per month), they are a little lower on the list.  Of course, they are available for only 2 months, but if I can chime in here, I think once again, a chocolate-of-the-month club that is only good for two months is a bit lame.  I wouldn't do it unless you can tackle 6 months or more.  I have no recommendations here for companies because I have not experienced any clubs of this type, but a Google search will bring up several options.

5.  Gourmet Chocolate Gift Basket - As an alternative to a full year of monthly chocolate candy deliveries, a one-time basket of chocolates and chocolate food products is a wonderful gift--the bigger, the better.  I'm not sure why one box of amazing chocolates is not the gift that rocks my world.  Maybe it's because it sounds too generic and packaged.  But a gift basket tends to have a variety of not only flavors but products and textures as well, and this just makes it seem more personal and fun. 

6.  Chocolatier Video Games - You may be surprised to see these on the list, but a more mouth-watering virtual experience for chocoholics does not exist to my knowledge.  Even if your recipient is not a major gamer, this series of games sooo feeds into every chocoholic's fantasy that it can hardly be a miss.  The first two games in the now-quartet (Chocolatier and Chocolatier 2: Secret Ingredients) are now available for purchase as CD-ROMs that you can play on your computer.  The newer two, Chocolatier 3: Decadence by Design and The Great Chocolate Chase: A Chocolatier Twist, are as of yet only available as an online download and as I am weary of downloads, I have not played either yet.  There is a version that comes in a Special Edition Tin which is great for gift-giving.

7.  Gourmet Chocolate Cupcakes - Cupcakes are not for kids' birthday parties anymore.  They can be the ultimate indulgence when turned out by a great cupcake boutique bakery.  A cupcake or two by themselves are not a really impressive gift for Christmas, but as a treat for a co-worker, they will put a smile on any chocoholics' frosting-covered face! 

8.  Cocoa-Scented Bath/Body Products - The only thing more luscious than ingesting chocolate is putting it on your skin.  And now you can get everything from sugar scrubs to lip balms made with cocoa products.  The list of all that is available is fodder for a separate post, but a web search will help you locate some options.

9.  Gift Certificate to Local Gourmet Chocolate Shop - One of my favorite activities as a chocoholic is shopping for chocolate.  If you have a gourmet chocolate shop in your town that makes its own high-end chocolates, a gift certificate that will allow your chocoholic to pick out a selection of chocolates to sample is not only creative but lets the recipient have all the fun!

10.  Set of Cocoa Mugs - If your chocoholic loves hot chocolate like I do, mugs that make the cocoa-drinking experience even more special make a fun gift.

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GIFTS NOT RECOMMENDED FOR CHOCOHOLICS

Hot Chocolate Maker - I have one of these, and I even asked for it.  It sounded like a great idea, but it is so impractical and noisy, that I used it twice and put it away.  I imagined having friends over and making hot cocoa for everyone with easy refills.  Unfortunately, it's not easy to clean and can make a mess when the spout drips.  It also has this nice feature that will keep the remaining cocoa warm until you are ready for more but in this mode, its loud engine turns on abruptly to "mix" the cocoa and scares you half to death while you are quietly enjoying your cocoa, ruining the whole experience.  I'm not exaggerating--it was that disruptive and so I stopped using it.

Chocolate Editions of Classic Board Games - Let me clarify that I am not against the chocolate editions of classic board games.  However, before giving this as a gift, I would make sure the recipient likes the classic edition of the game first.  The basic premise of the games are unchanged in their chocolate incarnations and the chocolate aspect is relatively superficial; so if you don't like the classic edition of Monopoly for example, you probably won't like the chocolate version either.  If however your chocoholic likes a particular board game, then they will probably like the chocolate edition even better.

For more gift ideas, check out the

 Chocoholics Boutique!